Artist moved by Mideast affairs

Posted: Thursday, November 05, 2009

By Chris Starrs

The story of Rachel Corrie is one of determination, dedication and, ultimately, tragedy. The native of Washington state was killed in 2003 when she was run over by a bulldozer while attempting to prevent the destruction of a Palestinian family's house in the Gaza Strip.

A documentary film in her honor, "Rachel Corrie: An American Conscience," not only details Corrie's death, but also takes a look at the continuing unrest between Israelis and Palestinians.

Athens-based actor and artist Stephanie Astalos-Jones was so moved by Corrie's plight, and by what she terms as the "kind of life Palestinians are forced to live at the hands of the Israeli government," that she decided she had to do something on the local level.

"My eyes were opened to a lot of things that the average person has no clue about, because the media has no interest in reporting on it," says Astalos-Jones, who became more familiar with the situation when she worked as an artist-in-residence at an international art camp in New York and met several young Palestinians. "As things have gotten worse over the past few years, it's like burning a hole in me. It's very frustrating. I felt helpless - what can I do?"

Astalos-Jones learned about Corrie through the American Friends Service Committee and the play, "My Name is Rachel Corrie," which was based on Corrie's diary, e-mails and journals. Astalos-Jones originally considered performing the play, but then learned about the documentary.

"It's a crudely put-together movie with many viewpoints," she says. "And I started thinking about putting on an event centered on the movie, because nobody is eagerly telling the story of the Palestine situation."

In legion with Amnesty International chapters from both the Athens community and the University of Georgia and the group Athens for Justice in Palestine, Astalos-Jones decided to host a screening of "An American Conscience," which is set for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Ciné.

"Rachel Corrie was part of an international peace organization and put herself between a bulldozer and a house, and (the bulldozer) slowly ran her over," Astalos-Jones says. "But the film covers much more than that. It's not fancy - it's basically a bunch of video clips edited together, but it also shows other international workers killed at the hands of the people occupying the area."

In addition to the film, UGA graduate student Amanda Adams will perform excerpts from "My Name is Rachel Corrie," and a post-film discussion is planned.

"I hope people will come and watch the movie and learn some things," Astalos-Jones says. "The issues that bother me are about the pain and injustice that are coming from the government, the state of Israel.

"Nobody is accusing specific people, but it's the same as saying the policies of the U.S. or different countries are sometimes wrong. With the state of Israel, why should it be such a taboo thing to question them? You watch this film and think, 'Are we all supposed to be silent?' I can't be."

A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will go toward Palestinian aid, and Astalos-Jones says that Zauton olive oil, produced by Palestinian farmers, also will be available for purchase, with all proceeds earmarked for farmers in the region.

"One thing that has to happen is people have to understand there's a real need for awareness to be raised," she says. "And people just need help surviving. ... If people are thinking, 'Is there any little thing I could do to help?' This really would help."